Though the JV Field Hockey team has not had the best season so far from a win or loss perspective, these scores are not an accurate representation of the team’s hard work and dedication. Both on the field and off, they are a family, which, in the end, shines brighter than the final score.

Success depends on teamwork, as any member of a sports team can attest. A team can only truly win once they have established a strong foundation of support, and it can take time to build this sense of trust. “We have a lot of new players this year, including me, who have never played before, so it was really hard in the beginning, but by now I think you can start to see a lot of improvement,” said freshman Eliana Gilman. This sentiment was shared by many of the girls on the team, including sophomore Kate Capitan, who said, “I think that today, from the first day we played together at all, has been so good. When we all got together, no one knew anything, because JV is for kids who are just starting. Considering some girls only started this year, I think we are doing really well.”

Despite the fact that they haven’t necessarily had the season they were hoping for, the JV team has still gained valuable insight and perspective from the Varsity team. With the “Big Sister, Little Sister” program, a Varsity team member pairs up with a JV girl to support her and share their field hockey knowledge to help improve the performance of their JV counterpart. To strengthen their bond as a team, one team member hosts a team dinner every week.  Finally, there is a “Secret Pal” tradition where each girl is assigned a team member to bring a special gift or snack before each game. With all of these positive reinforcements, improvement is sure to come.

The girls were especially excited coming off their big win against Falls Church High School on Tuesday, defeating them 2-1. This win obviously brought a new confidence to the team. “It felt so great to finally win. I think you could really see how well everyone was working together on the field” said freshman Julia Harris.

The girls still have five games left in their season, so who knows what could happen. Come support the JV Field Hockey team at their next home game on October 2 at 6:15pm against George Mason High School.